South Korea's president says Georgia ICE raid could have 'considerable impact' on direct US investment from his country Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo and Marianna Kim, CNNSeptember 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM 0 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a news conference at the Blue House in Seoul on Septembe...
- - South Korea's president says Georgia ICE raid could have 'considerable impact' on direct US investment from his country
Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo and Marianna Kim, CNNSeptember 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a news conference at the Blue House in Seoul on September 11, 2025. - Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
The ICE raid on more than 300 South Korean workers in Georgia could impact future South Korean investment in the US, its president said on Thursday, adding the fallout had created a "very confusing" situation for Korean companies there.
His comments come as South Korea reels from the raids – one of the largest by US immigration enforcement agencies in recent years, and which threatens to create a rift between two close partners that have long cooperated on military and economic matters.
South Korean businesses in the US "need to build facilities, install equipment, and set up factories, which requires skilled technicians," Lee Jae Myung said at a press conference that marked his 100th day in office.
He added that confusion over the current visa situation for South Koreans would lead local companies to question "whether they should go at all."
"This issue could have a considerable impact on foreign direct investment in the US," he said. "We are urging the US side to normalize the visa process related to investment, whether by securing sufficient visa quotas or by creating a new category of visa."
Lee's comments come as the South Korean workers detained in Georgia prepare to depart Atlanta on a Thursday flight and arrive in Seoul on Friday.
They will return home to a country that has been dismayed on their behalf, with many viewing the images of shackled workers being marched onto buses as the betrayal of a bilateral friendship forged over more than seven decades since the end of the Korean War.
This image from video provided by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group's electric vehicle plant, in Ellabell, Georgia, on September 4, 2025. - Corey Bullard/AP
On Thursday, South Korea's foreign ministry said President Donald Trump had temporarily paused the deportation process to discuss the workers' potential future in the US.
"President Trump temporarily paused the procedure in order to listen to our position on whether it would be possible for our nationals, who're all skilled workers, to continue working in the US," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The South Korean side made it clear that under no circumstances should there be delays in their departure and return, and that swift and safe movement of our nationals should be ensured," it said.
However, it added, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun had told Secretary of State Marco Rubio "that it would be best if our nationals first returned home and then reentered the US to resume work, and the US side said it respected this position and would promptly move forward with the repatriation schedule."
US and South Korean officials also discussed the process for bringing the workers home – with Trump reportedly instructing immigration authorities to transport the workers "without handcuffs or other physical restraints, despite strict US escort regulations, per our request," the foreign ministry said.
Outrage and shock
A person is chained and handcuffed at the Hyundai Motor Group's electric vehicle plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on September 4, 2025. - Corey Bullard/AP
The South Korean workers were taken into custody last Thursday during a sweeping ICE operation at a battery plant under construction in Ellabell, approximately 25 miles west of Savannah.
The plant is a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, two giants of South Korean industry that have made major multi-billion dollar investments in the US.
The news, along with images released by ICE of workers being lined up and restrained with long chains, sparked widespread frustration and outcry across the political spectrum in South Korea. Many fear the detentions could have a chilling effect on any business thinking of striking a deal on US soil.
"It was like 'a slap in the face' moment," Choi Jong Kun, South Korea's former First Vice Foreign Minister, told CNN.
Some of the 475 detained entered the US illegally, according to Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, while others had overstayed their visas. Others were in here under the US Visa Waiver Program which allows workers to travel for tourism or business for up to 90 days.
But Cho Hee-kyoung, a law professor at Seoul's Hongik University, told CNN South Korean workers have long worked under visa arrangements similar to those detained in Georgia and pointed to the ongoing problem of the US approving too few business visas.
Lawyers for some of the detained workers insist their clients were legally working on the Georgia site.
Some US lawmakers have recently pushed to address the lack of visas for South Korean workers. A bill called the "Partner with Korea Act" was introduced in the House in July but hasn't moved since.
Cho, the foreign minister, and Rubio discussed potentially creating new visa categories for South Korean workers during their meeting on Wednesday, according to a readout from the South Korean foreign ministry.
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